April 16, 1862
Slavery ends in the District of Columbia; the C.S.A. initiates the first military draft

Frederick Dielman, artist. "Celebration of the Abolition of Slavery in the District of Columbia by the Colored People, in Washington, April 19, 1866," Published in Harper's Weekly, May 12, 1866. Prints and Photographs Division

July 17, 1862
United States Congress passes the Second Confiscation Act, which frees slaves that come under Union control

Alfred A. Hart, photographer. Indian viewing railroad from top of Palisades. 435 miles from Sacramento. Sacramento: Golden State Photographic Gallery, between 1865 and 1869. Prints and Photographs Division

August 17, 1862
U.S.-Dakota War (Sioux Uprising) begins in Minnesota (it ends on September 23, 1862)

August 29–30, 1862
Confederate victory at the Battle of Second Manassas/Bull Run

Freemen! Avoid Conscription! Charleston, Tennessee: Confederate States of America, 1862. Rare Book and Special Collections Division

February 26, 1863
Cherokee Nation abolishes slavery; declares support for the Union

"Pickets of the First Louisiana 'Native Guard' guarding the New Orleans Opelousas and Great Western Railroad," published in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 7, 1863. Prints and Photographs Division

March 3, 1863
Lincoln signs the first Federal draft law

April 2, 1863
A food riot breaks out in Richmond

"Southern Women Feeling the Effects of the Rebellion, and Creating Bread Riots," published in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, May 23, 1863. Prints and Photographs Division

May 1–4, 1863
Confederates win a stunning victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville; Stonewall Jackson is fatally wounded

May 22, 1863
The Bureau of Colored Troops is established to organize black regiments.

E. G. Arnold. Topographical Map of the Original District of Columbia and Environs Showing the Fortifications around the City of Washington. New york: G. Woolworth Colton, 1862. Geography and Map Division